Loretta Sanchez Celebrates $485,000 Federal Grant For OC Crime Lab

Think what you might about Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez's politics, but there is no denying that the Anaheim Democrat continually helps steer important federal grants to Orange County's local government entities, especially law enforcement agencies.

Yesterday, with our Liz Monroy watching, Sanchez visited Sandra Hutchens' Orange County Sheriff's Department and its OC Crime Lab to celebrate a 2011 award of $485,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice.

During her visit, the congresswoman--a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security--met with Elizabeth Thompson, the crime lab's DNA director, and Bruce Houlihan, director of the entire operation. The two gave Sanchez--who was upbeat and funny--a tour of the lab and explained the process of DNA analysis, according to Monroy.

On Nov. 6, businessman Jerry Hayden is hoping his rookie campaign can wipe the smile off Sanchez's face by doing what Republicans haven't been able to do in eight consecutive elections: defeat Orange County's lone, Energizer Bunny Democrat in Congress.

R. Scott Moxley’s award-winning investigative journalism has touched nerves for two decades. An angry congressman threatened to break Moxley’s knee caps. A dirty sheriff promised his critical reporting was irrelevant and then landed in prison. Corporate crooks won’t take his calls. Murderous gangsters mad-dogged him in court. The U.S. House of Representatives debated his work. Pusillanimous cops have left hostile messages using fake names. Federal prosecutors credited his stories for the arrest of a doctor who sold fake medicine to dying patients. And a frantic state legislator literally caught sleeping with lobbyists sprinted down state capital hallways to evade his questions in Sacramento.